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CHRIST  m  BUDDHA 


MRS  ANNET  CRICH 


nOSICRUGIAN"  FELLOWSHIP-  0CEAN5IDL-CA1MNIA 


r€l|rtst  or 
Pubbiia? 


I         Annett  C  RicK         I 

SuBtrntnatt 

Oceanside,  California 


Copyright  1914 

Rosicrucian  Fellowship, 

Oceanside,  California. 


FOREWORD 
The  following  treatise  was  written  by  the 
author  at  my  request,  for  the  purpose  men- 
tioned in  the  first  two  paragraphs,  and  being 
well  fitted  by  years  of  study  of  both  Eastern 
and  Western  Religious  systems  to  under- 
take such  a  commission,  she  has,  in  my  esti- 
mation, given  a  most  comprehensive  view  of 
the  subject.  She  has  taken  a  most  sympa- 
thetic attitude  towards  the  Eastern  teach- 
ing as  becomes  an  enlightened  soul.  Thus 
the  spirit  of  this  little  book  is  not  contro- 
versial in  any  sense,  for  we  do  not  believe 
in  trying  to  build  up  our  own  religion  by 
casting  dirt  upon  that  of  other  people.  We 
are  just  as  sure  that  the  religion  of  the  East 
is  perfectly  suited  to  the  people  who  live 
there  as  that  the  Christian  religion  is  the 
religion  for  the  Western  people.  Were  the 
Buddha  teaching  today  and  a  student  from 
the  West  asked  his  opinion  as  to  whether  he 
should  follow  him  or  the  Christ,  I  feel  sure 
that  he  would  direct  the  inquirer  to  The 
Light  of  the  World;  and  this  little  book  is 
therefore  sent  forth  in  the  hope  that  it  may 
show  Western  students  that  THEIR  RE- 
LIGION IS  THE  CHRISTIAN,  and  that 
they  should  leave  the  Eastern  religion  to  the 
Eastern  people,  while  embracing  with  their 
whole  heart  and  soul  the  religion  of  the 
Christ. 

1 )         Max  Heindel. 

463268 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction 5 

A  Historical  Retrospect 9 

Christian  Rosenkreuz 18 

Involution,  Evolution  and  Epigenesis... .  22 

Trance  27 

Dreamless  Sleep 27 

Dreams 28 

The  Waking  State 29 

The  Mystery  of  Blood 33 

The  Mystery  of  Sex 39 

The  Mystery  of  Death 44 

The  Christ  of  the  West....  Is  Not  the 

Christ  of  the  East 46 

The  Christ  of  the  West 51 

Conclusion  •- 56 


Cfjrigt  ot  PubtrJia? 


INTRODUCTION 

When  the  Eastern  Occult  Teaching  was 
presented  to  the  Western  World,  about  40 
years  ago,  its  explanations  of  the  Universe 
were  accepted  as  reasonable  by  many  stu- 
dents, and  since  the  Rosicrucian  Cosmo-Con- 
ception has  been  given  in  1909,  similar  in 
certain  respects  concerning  the  laws  gov- 
erning the  Universe,  the  question  naturally 
arises  as  to  its  scope  and  purpose,  why  it  has 
been  given,  and  whether  its  teachings  and 
methods  of  development  are  better  suited 
to  an  advanced  or  modern  civilization. 

This  treatise  is  written  in  answer  to  the 
inquiry  and  to  correct  the  erroneous  con- 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 


elusion,  based  upon  a  superficial  glance,  that 
''it  is  the  same." 

^  The  8th  chapter  of  Hebrews  tells  of  a 
time  to  come  when  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  teach  others  to  know  God,  for  then  all, 
from  the  least  to  the  greatest  will  have  His 
Laws  inscribed  in  their  hearts  and  minds, 
and  all  shall  know  God.  At  present,  percep- 
tion is  impeded  in  a  varying  degree,  by  the 
veil  of  flesh  and  blood  which  "cannot  inherit 
the  Kingdom  of  God.''  We  are  now  grasp- 
ing for  the  truth  which  shall  make  us  free 
from  the  fetters  of  flesh  and  endue  us  with 
the  spiritual  faculties  requisite  to  know 
God.  It  is  the  promise  of  Christ,  that  if  we 
seek  we  shall  find;  He  made  no  exception; 
we  need  not  fear  that  any  be  ''lost",  yet 
much  effort  may  be  saved  by  searching 
in  the  right  direction,  and  we  therefore 
feel  impelled  to  place  before  Western  stu- 
dents some  of  the  differences  between  the 
teachings  of  the  East  and  West  with  par- 
ticular emphasis  upon  the  method  of  soul 
unfoldment,  a  method  naturally  adapted  to 
that  mental  and  racial  difference  between 
the  Occidental  and  Oriental  civilization, 
(or  people). 

( 1 )  We  believe  that  all  religions 
have  been  divinely  given,  each  per- 
fectly suited  to  the  nation  where  it 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  7 

was  originated  by  one  of  God's  mes- 
sengers. 

(2)  We  know  that  the  path  of 
civilization  has  been  from  East  to 
West,  and  that  the  most  advanced 
people  are  now  living  here. 

(3)  We  think  it  a  reasonable 
supposition  that  the  most  advanced 
religion  has  been  given  to  the  most 
advanced  people,  and  that  thus  our 
Christian  religion  is  at  present  the 
most  lofty  form  of  worship. 

(4)  We  know  that  each  of  the 
older  religions  had  Mystery  Schools 
for  advanced  souls,  also  that  Christ 
gave  his  chosen  disciples  knowledge 
concerning  "the  Mysteries  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven",  but  parables 
to  the  public. 

(5)  In  the  Eastern  Teaching 
Universal  Brotherhood  is  considered 
the  great  Ideal.  In  the  Christian 
Mystery  Teaching  of  the  West  Uni- 
versal Friendship  is  the  Ideal. 
Christianity  is  to  be  a  Cosmic  in- 
stead of  a  race  religion,  and  its  esot- 
eric teachings  are  destined  to  be- 
come universal.  According  to  the 
Western  teaching  Christ  is  the 
Leader  of  the  next  Great  Epoch  and 


8  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

will  come  again,  but  in  a  "soul  body^', 
(soma  psuchicon),  as  taught  by 
Paul  in  1  Cor:  15:45.  .  This  ve- 
hicle is  built  of  ether,  and  when  man 
has  evolved  etheric  consciousness  so 
that  he  can  meet  Him  "face  to  face", 
the  Lord  will  appear. 

(6)     If  the  Christian  religion  is 
the  most  advanced,  its  inner  teach- 
ing must  necessarily  be  deeper  and 
more  far  reaching  than  any  other, 
and  the  Western  Wisdom  Teaching, 
includes  methods  of  developing  the 
soulbody  so  that  we  may  function 
consciously  in  (the  invisible  worlds 
while  still  living  in  the  dense  body. 
This  method  is  particularly  adapted 
to  the  need  of  Westerners,  hence  it  is 
productive   of   results   without   the 
dangers  attendant  upon  the  use   of 
Eastern  methods  by  Western  people. 
In  conclusion,  the  writer  may  add  that 
after  many  years'  study  of  the  ancient  re- 
ligions she  speaks  without  prejudice    and 
with  gratitude  for  the  light  there  received. 
Thus  she  feels  free  to  voice  her  conviction 
that  the  Christian  religion   is   more   lofty 
than  any  of  its  precurcers;  that  the  Chris- 
tian Mystery  Teachings,  now  promulgated 
by  the  Order  of  Rosicrucians  through   the 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  9 

Rosicrucian  Fellowship,  are  both  scientific 
and  specially  adapted  to  this  advanced  civ- 
ilization, and  that  to  repudiate  the  Christian 
religion  for  any  of  the  older  systems  is  an- 
alagous  to  preferring  the  oldest  text-books 
of  science  to  the  new  editions  which  em- 
brace discoveries  to  date. 

A  HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT 

We  no  longer  need  to  be  reminded  that 
we  are  living  in  times  pregnant  with  inno- 
vations. Into  every  department  of  our  civ- 
ilization has  swept  the  intrepid  invading 
spirit  of  inquiry,  of  investigation,  of  analy- 
sis. Neither  can  we  fail  to  observe  that  we 
are  living  in  an  age  where  the  intellect  is 
reaching  its  most  practical  and  intense  ex- 
pression of  development,  that  it  is  arrogat- 
ing to  itself  with  a  royal  self-sufficing  con- 
fidence the  right  to  challenge  any  code  of 
ethics,  and  theory  of  life  or  religion,  any 
landmark  of  civilization,  or  hypothesis  of 
science,  and  to  demand  proof  of  their  right 
to  exist.  Nothing  in  the  universe  is  too 
colossal  for  its  investigation  or  too  infinitesi- 
mal for  its  analysis.  Society  has  ceased  to 
shrink  from  the  revolutionary  attacks  of 
scientific  discoveries  which  for  many  years 
have  been  beating  back  with  resistless  force ; 
ignorance,      prejudice      and      dogmatism. 


10  CHRIST  OR  BUDDRA? 

These  have  had  their  day,  and  are  now  pow- 
erless to  restrain  progress;  mankind  is  ad- 
vancing whether  it  will  or  not. 

In  no  department  of  life  is  the  spirit  of 
inquiry,  of  sifting,  of  investigation  more 
intimately  manifested  than  in  religion. 
Into  this  domain  of  mystery  and  tradition, 
into  the  depths  of  its  origon,  into  the  realm 
of  its  authority  has  marched  the  relentless 
spirit  of  inquiry  which  has  not  halted  or 
flinched  or  turned  back,  though  all  the  sacred 
bulwarks  of  creeds  threatened  to  crumble  be- 
fore its  encroachments.  The  intellect  is  de- 
manding a  right  higher  than  that  of  the 
priest  to  interpret  the  truth  of  religion,  con- 
fidently asserting  that  if  it  cannot  discern 
truth  or  penetrate  beyond  the  borders  of  the 
invisible  to  a  knowledge  of  God,  no  other 
faculty  exists  capable  of  cognizing  Deity. 

If  we  look  back  over  the  centuries  of  his- 
tory we  note  that  the  present  intellectual 
and  material  age  is  the  fruitage  of  a  long 
and  significant  past,  the  crest  of  a  wave  of 
progress  that  has  followed  an  impulse  sent 
out  from  the  very  cradle  of  the  race.  Vague 
and  uncertain  as  our  glimpse  may  be  of  the 
civilization  of  India,  Egypt,  Persia  or 
Greece,  we  nevertheless  can  note  that  since 
the  birth  of  the  Aryan  race  the  line  of  pro- 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  11 

gressive  movement  has  been  toward  the 
beckoning  glory  of  the  setting  sun. 

When  India  reached  the  pinnacle  of  her 
greatness,  the  Hindu  religion  taught  a  con- 
ception of  God  and  His  omnipotance  then 
which  history  furnishes  none  more  lofty  or 
spiritual.  From  the  crest  of  that  wave  has 
flashed  down  through  the.  centuries  the 
light  of  a  wonderful  truth  of  the  unity  of 
life,  and  of  the  Divine  presence  in  the  uni- 
verse. Then,  with  mighty  stillness  the 
wave  receded  to  reappear  in  Persia  adding 
a  new  message  to  stimulate  human  progress. 

We  do  not  usually  associate  the  idea  of 
material  development  with  the  Orient 
either,  yet  this,  too,  was  born  among  them, 
for  as  the  keynote  of  the  Hindu  religion  is 
Unity,  realizing  the  Deity  in  every  part  of 
the  universe,  so  the  keynote  of  the  Parsi  or 
Zoroastrian  religion  is  Purity,  purity  of 
conduct  and  affairs  of  life.  Zoroaster  came 
to  lift  his  people  from  the  sloth  of  idleness 
into  which  they  had  fallen,  and  to  arouse 
them  from  the  state  of  apathy  and  inactive 
contemplation  of  the  inner  life,  all  too  com- 
mon among  the  Hindus,  to  a  consideration 
adapted  to  its  day  as  are  all  great  religions, 
it  emphasized  the  practical  side  of  life  rather 
than  the  metaphysical,  and  its  motto  of 
"pure  thoughts,  pure  words,  pure  deeds"  re- 


12  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

veals  how  ancient  is  the  doctrine  of  right 
thinking  and  right  living. 

Centuries  later  the  Buddha  came  to  re- 
enunciate  the  ancient  truths  that  lay  ob- 
scured beneath  the  debris  of  selfishness  and 
caste,  and  feeling  the  suffering  and  sin  of 
the  world  to  be  rooted  in  unfilled  desire,  his 
compassionate  heart  sought  to  alleviate  sor- 
row through  the  doctrine  of  overcoming  all 
desire  and  thus  attaining  to  peace,  a  doctrine 
that  fell  like  a  benediction  on  the  troubled 
life  of  his  contemporaries,  and  which  still 
lives  in  the  hearts  of  his  followers. 

With  the  passing  of  the  great  Eastern 
Eastern  Teachers  the  glory  of  the  Orient  be- 
gan to  wane.  Again  the  spiritual  wave  re- 
ceded to  re-appear  among  the  Greeks,  in 
Hellas,  worthy  to  be  guarded  from  the  pow- 
ers of  darkness,  in  whose  splendid  dust  still 
trails  the  clouds  of  its  ancient  glory.  Since 
the  Greeks,  no  higher  type  of  pure  intellect 
has  been  achieved,  their  art,  their  philoso- 
phy speak  always  in  the  language  of  repose, 
of  dignity,  of  self-control.  To  them.  Truth 
and  Beauty  were  the  pearls  of  great  price. 
They  inscribed  over  their  temples  ''Know 
Thyself,  for  to  know  thyself  is  to  know 
truth,  whether  manifesting  through  the  con- 
scious power  of  their  god  Apollo,  issuing 
from  his  temple  to  defend  in  person  the 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  13 

secred  shrine  or  reflected  from  the 
splendid  achievements  of  Pericles,  or 
through  the  lofty  philosophy  of  Pytha- 
goras, of  Socrates,  of  Plato  we  contact  al- 
ways the  presence  of  intellectual  power  in 
search  for  truth,  and  when  drunk  with  pride 
of  intellect  and  self-sufficiency,  Greece  fell 
before  the  organized  militarism  of  Rome, 

From  its  pinnacle  of  military  supremacy 
Rome  looked  with  complacency  over  the 
world  it  had  conquered.  Little  it  dreamt 
that  it  would  topple  before  mere  spiritual 
force,  bequeathing  its  heritage  of  law,  or- 
der and  justice  to  a  later  generation. 

To  glimpse  the  misery  and  degradation  of 
the  world  at  the  feet  of  Rome,  enslaved  by 
vice,  apathy  and  superstition,  is  to  realize, 
though  vaguely,  how  far  humanity  had 
strayed  from  the  lofty  precepts  of  the  an- 
cient Teachers.  All  too  faintly  amid  the 
babble  of  race  prejudice,  and  race  separate- 
ness,  sounded  the  ancient  keynotes  of  unity 
and  purity.  Egypt  was  wrapped  in  the 
darkness  of  a  degenerate  priesthood.  India 
was  fettered  by  caste,  Persia  lay  asleep  be- 
neath its  jewelled  canopies,  the  glory  of 
Greece  was  dimmed,  the  camp-fires  of  Rome, 
reeking  with  vice  and  dissipation,  affronted 
the  skies,  and  almost  it  seemed  as  if  God 
had  forgotten  His  world.    But,  '^He  stand- 


14  CHRIST  OR  BUllDHA? 

eth  still  within  the  shadow,  keeping  watch 
above  His  own''.  ''Again  the  time  had  come 
for  one  of  those  divine  manifestations,  which 
from  age  to  age  are  made  for  helping  hu- 
manity". Such  a  manifestation  invariably 
comes  when  the  oppression  of  darkness 
seems  too  heavy  to  bear  and  a  new  impulse 
is  needed  to  quicken  spiritual  growth. 

Into  this  maelstrom  of  a  decaying  empire, 
into  the  wearyness  of  a  dispairing  world, 
into  the  midst  of  a  lost  and  despised  people, 
descended  the  Sun  Spirit  Christ;  manifest- 
ing ''the  greatest  of  the  Divine  measures 
yet  put  forth  for  the  upliftment  of  the 
world''.  Christ  came,  not  alone  to  rescue 
truth  from  oblivion,  or  to  bring  back  the 
ancient  teachings,  or  to  re-establish  the  law, 
but  to  add  to  them  the  greatest  principle  of 
all:  Love,  to  reveal  to  humanity  the  doc- 
trine of  the  heart;  how  we  may  attain  to  a 
more  sublime  wisdom  by  the  pathway  of 
love,  than  we  can  reach  by  reason.  He  came 
to  replace  the  Race  relations  which  were  in- 
stituted by  and  under  the  guidance  of  Jeho- 
vah, with  a  Cosmic  Religion^  promotiYe  of 
Universal  Amity  as  well  as  Universal 
Brotherhood,  a  religion  wherein  the  reign 
of  Law  is  superseded  by  the  reign  of  Love, 
and  wherein  the  spirit  of  antagonism  and 
separateness  which  lies  at  the  root    of    all 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  15 

race  religions,  will  be  transmuted  into  self- 
less service,  each  for  all,  so  that  nations  may 
beat  their  swords  into  plowshares  and  the 
reign  of  Friendship  and  peace  begin. 

In  all  the  previous  religions  there  were 
deeper  truths  than  were  given  to  the  masses : 
The  priests  were  custodians  of  this  inner 
knowledge,  but  Initiation  was  open  only  to 
the  few.  Humanity  was  not  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced to  receive  it.  Those  who  partook  of 
the  ancient  Mysteries  required  the  media- 
tion of  Priests,  and  only  the  High  Priest 
could  enter  the  innermost  Temple  of  God. 
When  Christ  came,  begotten  of  the  Father, 
He  brought  direct  to  humanity  the  light  and 
power  of  the  spiritual  Sun.  He  poured  into 
human  life  the  Cosmic  Ray  of  Himself.  He 
is  the  link  between  God  and  man.  The  Way, 
the  Truth  and  the  Life,  fulfilling  within 
Himself  the  office  of  the  High  Priest  after 
the  Order  of  Melchisedek,  Himself  the  Ini- 
tiator, and  now  ''whomsoever  will  may  come 
and  drink  of  the  water  of  Life  freely''. 

It  seems  paradoxical  to  consider  the  ma- 
terial growth  and  supremacy  of  the  modern 
civilization  as  in  any  real  sense  the  outcome 
of  an  impulse  sent  forth  by  the  gentle  Naza- 
rene,  yet  the  birth  of  the  Christian  religion 
gave  direct  and  special  stimulus  to  individual 
achievement,  for  it  broke  down  the  barriers 


16  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

of  caste  and  race  and  made  all  men  equal  in 
the  sight  of  God.  That  all  are  brothers  is  a 
fact  in  nature,  but  under  the  regime  of  Je- 
hovah, some  were  preferred  to  others,  there- 
fore Christ  came  to  level  the  difference. 
Galilee  itself  was  a  more  fitting  birthplace 
for  a  new  order  of  things  than  may  be  at 
first  apparent.  Obscure  as  it  is  today,  two 
thousand  years  ago  Galilee  was  the  mecca  of 
travellers  who  flocked  there  from  the  known 
parts  of  the  world.  It  was  as  cosmopolitan 
as  Rome  itself,  a  sort  of  ^^melting-pot'',  pro- 
viding conditions  congenial  for  the  birth  of 
a  body  and  brain  different  from  the  ordinary 
type,  and  an  environment  where  adapta- 
bility to  new  impulses  could  find  scope  and 
new  conceptions  be  sent  over  the  world.  In 
this  new  Christian  religion  the  old  ideals  of 
slave  and  master,  Jew  and  Gentile,  priest 
and  people.  Brahmin  and  Pariah  were  su- 
perseded by  the  ideal  of  equality,  of  inde- 
pendence and  individual  freedom.  Even 
the  lowliest  began  to  lift  their  heads  as  free 
men  do  and  to  reach  towards  individual 
achievment  and  individual  development,  and 
with  this  new  sense  of  freedom  in  their 
hearts  it  is  small  wonder  that  they  com- 
menced to  quaff  their  first  thirst  in  the  wat- 
ers of  material  prosperity  that  never  before 
had  sparkled  so  copiously  at  their  feet.    Our 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  17 

modern  civilization  is  a  normal  outgrowth 
of  this  impetus  given  to  individual  develop- 
ment both  in  thought  and  action. 

The  material  and  intellectual  achieve- 
ments of  modern  civilization  have  naturally 
evolved  the  critical  and  analytical  spirit  that 
always  accompanies  individual  growth. 
This  was  accentuated  by  the  birth  of  modern 
science,  until  today  the  intellect  sits  en- 
throned upon  the  knowledge  it  has  acquired, 
and  refuses  to  accept  anything  as  truth  that 
cannot  be  seen,  measured  or  analyzed.  But 
though  physical  science  may  scoff  at  the 
Christian  religion  of  love  and  self-sacrifice, 
as  being  unscientific  and  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  self-preservation  and  survival  of  the 
fittest,  the  teachings  of  the  lowly  Nazarene 
has  silently  and  almost  impercenptibly  in- 
oculated the  Western  World  with  a  spirit  of 
altruism  which  has  been  burrowing  its  way 
into  the  hearts  of  humanity  since  the  sacri- 
fice on  Golgotha,  impelling  the  world  to 
bear  each  other's  burdens  and  make  the 
cause  of  individual  wellfare  the  cause  of  the 
whole,  for  only  thus  can  man  enter  into  the 
full  birthright  of  his  freedom  and  of  the 
Christian  Teaching. 


18  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

CHRISTIAN  ROSENKREUZ 

Every  student  knows  that  this  modern 
civilization  has  not  been  achieved  by  stages 
of  smooth  and  uniform  growth.  Following 
the  spiritual  impulse  of  early  Christianity 
came  the  grewsome  dark  age  with  its  cloak 
of  superstition  and  intolerance.  The  Chris- 
tian Religion  was  used  as  a  ladder  for  greed 
and  ambition,  and  the  inner  teachings  of 
Christ  were  submerged  under  a  theological 
dogmatism  that  threatened  to  arrest  human 
progress  for  the  sake  of  ecclesiastical  su- 
premacy. The  shackles  of  an  autocratic 
priesthood  were  at  length  broken  by  modern 
science  and  reason  leaped  to  the  dangerous 
tyrannical  supremacy  it  still  maintains. 

The  intellect  in  its  revolt  against  super- 
stition soon  showed  a  leaning  towards  ultra- 
materialism,  and  that  this  might  not  en- 
gulf the  spiritual  Truth  there  came  about 
the  13th  century  a  great  Teacher  bearing 
the  symbolical  name:  Christian  Rosen- 
Kreutz,  to  throw  new  light  upon  the  mis- 
understood Christian  Teachings,  to  preserve 
them  and  steer  them  through  the  impending 
materialistic  and  theological  controversies. 
He  is  a  warder  of  the  hidden  Wisdom  of 
the  West  which  alone  can  satisfy  both  heart 
and  mind. 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  19 

We  are  today  in  the  midst  of  a  civilization 
born  of  stress,  strife  and  ultra  activity, 
a  civilization  hewn  by  the  sword  and  trailed 
by  human  blood.  Truly  Christ  came  "not  to 
bring  peace  but  a  sword",  for  only  thus  can 
crystallized  nations  be  broken  to  pieces  and 
emancipated  from  the  limitations  of  family 
tradition  and  race  prejudice  and  be  amalga- 
mated into  a  family  of  the  whole.  This  is  a 
civilization  that  outstrides  the  weak,  yet 
stoops  in  its  unresting  speed  to  succor  those 
under  its  feet.  It  is  to  this  service  side  of 
life  that  the  true  mystic  Christian  Religion 
is  specially  adapted.  Its  teachings  are  the 
heritage  of  a  splendid  past,  the  outgrowth 
of  the  ' 'ever-becoming' \  Wave  upon  wave 
of  spiritual  impulses  have  preceded  it,  each 
one  lifting  humanity  a  little  higher.  It 
marks  the  height  to  which  the  world  has 
climbed  in  ideals  of  Brotherhood  and  points 
the  goal  of  Universal  Friendship  to  which  it 
will  yet  attain.  Its  teachings  are  still  in  a 
stage  of  growth,  still  in  the  forming,  yet  so 
virile  is  it  that  when  Western  students, 
weary  of  the  materialism  with  which  they 
are  surrounded  turn  to  the  East  for  religious 
teachings,  they  are  often  thrown  back 
upon  their  own  Christian  Religion  to  find 
scope  for  the  freedom  they  have  evolved,  for 
the  progress  they  have  achieved,  and  for 


20  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

the  Christ  doctrine  of  the  heart  that  has 
arisen  among  us,  which  refuses  to  be  denied 
and  which  proclaims  that  every  man  is  his 
brother's  keeper. 

During  the  sway  of  the  ancient  civiliza- 
tion humanity  was  more  under  the  direct 
guidance  of  its  Leaders,  the  external  world 
was  less  potent  in  its  influence.  The  people 
practiced  their  lesson  of  obedience  to  the 
priests,  their  inner  life  was  a  nearer  reality 
and  metaphysical  development  was  a  nor- 
mal outcome,  but  since  humanity  grows 
through  experience,  it  was  needful  that  it 
learn  to  stand  on  its  own  feet,  learn  to  con- 
quer the  external  world  as  well  as  the  spirit- 
ual, and  do  its  full  share  in  the  world's  work. 
Every  race  has  a  body  suited  to  its  develop- 
ment. The  Hindu  body  (and  I  speak  of  the 
Hindu  because  most  of  the  Eastern  religious 
teachings  that  reaches  the  Western  World 
comes  from  the  Hindu)  is  especially  adapted 
to  metaphysical  thought,  the  ethers  of  his 
vital  body  are  as  yet  loosely  interwoven  into 
his  physical,  and  therefore  negatively.,  re- 
ceptive to  spiritual  impacts,  it  lacks  the 
sturdier  qualities  that  render  it  capable  of 
coping  with  and  mastering  the  external 
world.  All  worlds  of  nature  must  be  con- 
quered by  man  that  he  may  carry  back  the 
full  fruitage  of  experience  to  God  who  sent 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  21 

him  forth.  The  lessons  of  this  physical 
world  are  as  essential  as  the  spiritual.  The 
Western  brain  and  body  are  characterized 
by  adaptability  and  fertility  of  resource, 
both  necessary  to  material  evolution.  Be- 
cause the  ethers  are  closely  interwoven  in  our 
physical  bodies,  the  Eastern  methods  of  de- 
velopment tend  to  derange  the  Westerner's 
faculties  instead  of  spiritualizing  them. 

This  Western  direction  towards  outward 
things  has  produced  many  significant  re- 
sults. Within  its  scope  has  evolved  the  sci- 
ence of  psychology,  which  furnishes  not  only 
a  field  for  scientific  research  and  develop- 
ment, but  has  also  given  such  an  impetus 
to  the  practical  application  of  Altruism  that 
no  modern  civilization  ignores  the  physical 
or  hygienic  welfare  of  its  people.  To  the 
knowledge  of  this  and  other  branches  of  sci- 
ence the  Western  Wisdom  Teaching  of  the 
Rosicrucians  brings  certain  new  and  far 
reaching  explanations  that  furnish  a  reason- 
able solution  to  many  of  the  problems  of  evo- 
lution. 


22  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

INVOLUTION,  EVOLUTION  AND 
EPIGENESIS 

Besides  presenting  the  theory  of  Involu- 
tion of  life  and  the  synchronous  Evolution 
of  form,  the  Western  teaching  includes  a 
third  factor,  the  Law  of  Epigenesis,  Man  is 
himself  a  factor  in  the  building  of  his  bodies. 
During  antenatal  life  he  works  uncon- 
sciously, building  in  the  "quintessence  of 
former  l3odies^^  later  he  begins  to  work  con- 
sciously, and  the  more  advanced  he  is,  the 
better  he  can  build.  In  each  embodiment  he 
does  some  original  work,^  so  that  "there  is  an 
influx  of  new  and  original  causes  all  the 
time^',  and  this  process  of  taking  initiative, 
of  creating  new  possibilities  of  growth,  is 
called  "Epigenesis''.  This  enables  man  to 
become  a  genius  and  a  co-worker  with  the 
Creative  Hierarchies  of  the  world.  If  evo- 
lution consisted  merely  in  the  unfoldment  of 
germinal  or  latent  possibilities  man  could 
not  thus  become  a  creator.  The  Eastern 
teachings  says  nothing  of  this  far  reaching 
principle. 

During  antenatal  life  he  works  up  con- 
Soon  after  the  promulgation  of  Darwin's 
theory  of  evolution  certain  objections  were 
brought  forward  which  have  never  been 
satisfactorily  answered    by    science,     but 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  23 

which  receive  a  reasonable  explanation  in 
the  Western  Wisdom  Teaching.  These  ob- 
jections to  the  Darwinian  theory  of  evolu- 
tion are : 

1.  The  absence  of  discovered  links  between  the 
higher  apes  and  man. 

There  is  always  movement  in  nature,  and 
as  man  passed  through  the  various  kingdoms 
he  evolved  and  occupied  forms  adapted  to 
each  stage  of  development.  **It  is  a  law  in 
nature  that  no  one  can  inhabit  a  more  effi- 
cient body  than  he  is  capable  of  building", 
but  when  the  form  reaches  its  limit  of  capa- 
city it  begins  to  degenerate,  having  served 
the  purpose  as  a  vehicle  of  growth.  All 
along  the  way  there  were  always  some  who 
refused  to  advance  and  were  left  behind  as 
stragglers.  As  the  pioneers  passed  into 
bodies  better  suited  for  further  progress 
their  outgrown  and  degenerating  vehicles 
were  taken  up  by  the  less  evolved,  and  by 
the  stragglers,  who  in  turn  used  them  as 
stepping  stones  untilthe  bodies  crystalized 
beyond  the  possibility  of  the  evolving  life  to 
ensoul  them,  when  they  returned  to  the  min- 
eral kingdom.  Science  speaks  of  the  evolu- 
tion of  forms,  but  there  is  also  this  line  of 
degenerating  forms  used  by  the  less  evolved 
and  by  the  stragglers.  The  apes  belong  to 
the  latter  class  and  instead  of  being  the  pro- 


24  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

genitors  of  man  are  in  reality  stragglers 
occupying  the  degenerated  vehicles  once 
used  by  man.  The  Eastern  teaching  attri- 
butes their  existence  to  the  improper  rela- 
tions of  primitive  man  with  animals. 

2.     The  sterility  of  hybrids. 

This  is  another  problem  in  evolution 
passed  over  entirely  by  Eastern  Occultism, 
nor  is  it  satisfactorily  explained  by  science, 
but  receives  a  rational  solution  in  the  West- 
ern Wisdom  Teaching.  Briefly  stated,  it  is 
this : 

^  Until  the  animals  become  ensouled  by  in- 
dividual indwelling  spirits  endowed  with 
reason  to  consciously,  or  subconsciously, 
guide  themselves  from  within,  Mother  Na- 
ture wisely  appoints  a  group  spirit  who 
guides  them  from  without  in  harmony  with 
cosmic  law,  and  that  which  we  call  *^in- 
stinct''^  is  a  manifestation  of  its  wisdom. 
When  animals  of  different  species  mate 
their  progeny  is  not  wholly  under  the  con- 
trol of  either  of  the  groupspirits  which  guide 
its  parents.  If  hybrids  were  able  to  propa- 
gate the  issue  would  be  still  further  re- 
moved from  their  guidance  and  control, 
it  would  be  a  helpless  waif  on  the  sea  of  life, 
having  neither  instinct  nor  reason.  There- 
fore the  groupspirits  kindly    withhold    the 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  25 

seed-atom  necessary  to  fertilization    from 
hybrids,  which  are  therefore  sterile. 

The  scientifically  observed  fact  of  "hae- 
molysis", or  destruction  of  blood,  when  un- 
naturally mixed  also  has  an  important 
bearing  on  the  subject.  This  is  fully  eluci- 
dated in  the  Rosicrucian  Cosmos  Conception 
to  which  students  desiring  to  thoroughly  sift 
the  matter  will  do  well  to  refer. 

3.     The   moral   and   mental   supremacy   of 
man  over  animals. 

This  fact,  so  apparent  that  it  cannot  es- 
cape the  notice  of  the  most  superficial  ob- 
server, is  not  clearly  explained  by  Eastern 
Occultism,  but  receives  thorough  and 
logical  treatment  in  the  Western  Wisdom 
Teaching  of  the  Rosicrucians : 

The  plants  draw  their  sustenance  from 
the  soil,  animals  feed  upon  the  plants,  and 
the  human  beings  also  take  their  food  from 
the  lower  kingdoms.  Thus,  in  the  final  an- 
alysis all  mineral,  vegetable,  animal  and 
human  forms  are  composed  of  the  same 
chemical  constituents  of  the  earth. 

Besides  this  physical  form-world  we  see 
there  are  realms  invisible  to  the  eye,  but  per- 
ceptible by  a  sixth  sense  which  is  latent  in 
the  majority,  but  awakened  in  many.  This 
spiritual  vision  reveals  the  existence  of 


26  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

An  Etheric  Region,  promotive  of  growth 
and  senseperception. 

A  Desireworld,  and 

A  World  of  Thought. 

As  a  form  built  of  chemical  matter  is  re- 
quired for  life  in  the  physical  world,  so  also 
is  it  necessary  to  have  a  vehicle  made  of  the 
substance  of  the  other  realms  of  nature  in 
order  to  express  their  qualities.  Further, 
Life  in  evolution  is  ever  seeking  expansion 
of  consciousness,  to  this  end  forms  become 
more  complex  as  we  ascend  the  scale  from 
mineral  to  man,  and  invisible  vehicles  are 
also  added  to  the  physical  form.  Man  alone 
has  vehicles  correlating  him  to  all  four 
realms,  and  result  in  four  states  of  con- 
sciousness analogous  to  those  possessed  by 
the  four  kingdoms. 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  27 

TRANCE 

At  spiritual  seances  invisible  entities  ac- 
complish the  feat  of  materialization  by 
drawing  the  ether  out  of  a  mediums  body, 
forming  it  as  they  wish  and  filling  this  warp 
with  a  woof  of  physical  particles  floating  in 
the  atmosphere  to  any  desired  density.  The 
body  of  the  medium  is  thus  separated  from 
the  higher  vehicles  which  link  it  with  the 
spirit,  hence  in  a  state  of  deep  unconscious- 
ness which  we  call  ^^trance,"  and  as  the  min- 
eral has  only  a  physical  body  it  may  be  said 
to  have  a  trance  consciousness. 

DREAMLESS  SLEEP 

When  we  look  at  a  person  wrapped  in 
dreamless  slumber,  the  body  seems  inert, 
but  when  we  focus  our  spiritual  vision  upon 
the  sleeper  we  shall  see  an  inner  activity. 
The  processes  of  digestion,  assimilation,  se- 
cretion, etc.,  are  carried  on  to  even  greater 
purpose  than  in  the  waking  state.  This  be- 
cause the  dense  body  is  interpenetrated  by  a 
vital  body  made  of  ether,  but  the  higher  ve- 
hicles float  a  few  feet  above  the  bed.  When 
we  examine  the  plants  we  find  that  they  also 
have  a  dense  and  a  vital  body,  which  enables 
them  to  digest  and  assimilate  food,  to  breathe 
the  air,  etc.,  and  we  may  therefore  say  that 


28  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

the  plants  have  a  consciousness  analogous  to 
dreamless  sleep. 

DREAMS 

Sometimes  when  we  are  unduly  intent 
upon  the  affairs  of  this  world  the  higher 
vehicles  do  not  properly  separate  when  we 
go  to  sleep,  the  dense  and  vital  bodies  are 
then  partially  interpenetrated  by  the  desire 
body  which  generates  emotions  and  motion. 
Because  the  sense  centers  of  our  higher  ve- 
hicles are  then  askew  in  respect  of  our  brain, 
we  see  a  galaxy  of  wild  dream  pictures  and 
are  tossed  about  on  the  bed  under  the  sway 
of  emotions  generated  by  these  visions,  nor 
can  we  reason  about  them,  for  the  mind  is 
outside  the  dense  body,  and  we  therefore  ac- 
cept unquestioningly  even  the  most  impos- 
sible situations. 

A  vital  body  and  a  desire  body,  interpene- 
trate the  dense  body  of  animals,  but  are  not 
quite  concentric  with  the  physical  body. 
Upon  the  screen  of  these  vehicles  pictures 
are  projected  by  the  wise  groupspirit,  and 
the  animals,  having  no  mind,  follow  blindly 
the  course  suggested  by  these  pictures.  Thus 
we  see  that  the  consciousness  of  animals  is 
analogous  to  our  own  dream-state,  with  the 
important  difference,  that  the  suggestive 
pictures  projected  by  the  groupspirit  are  not 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  29 

irrational,  but  embody  a  wonderful  wisdom 
which  we  mistakenly  call  "instinct/' 

The  supernormal  intelligence  and  reason 
observable  in  domesticated  animals  are  "in- 
duced'' by  association  with  man,  on  the  same 
principle  that  electricity  of  low  voltage  is 
transmitted  when  an  uncharged  wire  is 
brought  into  proximity  with  another  carry- 
ing a  current  of  high  tension. 

THE  WAKING  STATE 

In  the  waking  state  all  man's  vehicles  are 
concentric,  and  he  is  thus  able  to  will  and 
reason.  The  mineral  cannot  choose  whether 
it  will  crystalize  or  not,  nor  has  the  plant 
freewill,  it  is  compelled  to  bloom  by  condi- 
tions outside  its  control,  the  lion  must  prey 
and  the  rabbit  must  burrow,  each  species  has 
certain  generic  habits,  and  all  the  separate 
plants  or  animals  of  a  certain  family  act 
alike  under  like  conditions  because  impelled 
to  action  by  the  common  groupspirit.  There- 
fore, if  we  know  the  habits  of  any  separate 
animal  we  know  the  characteristics  of  the 
whole  family.  Not  so  with  man,  who  is 
guided  from  within.  Each  is  a  species,  a 
law,  unto  himself,  and  no  matter  how  many 
we  study,  we  never  can  tell  what  anyone  is 
going  to  do  in  a  certain  case  by  knowing  how 
another  would  act.     Neither  can  we  write 


30  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

the  biography  of  a  rose,  or  a  lion,  only  a  man 
whose  life  is  different  from  all  others  can  be 
thus  sketched. 

Thus  man's  mental  and  moral  supremacy 
over  the  animals  and  lower  kingdoms  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  he  is  an  individual  indwelling 
ego,  knowing  himself  as  "/  am,^^  an  appel- 
lation unthinkable  in  an  animal,  and  cap- 
able of  initiating  action  from  within,  by  an 
"I  will,'*  while  animals  are  guided  by  from 
without  by  a  groupspirit  and  have  no  vo- 
lition. 

4.  The  existence  of  organs  of  no  use  to 
their  possessors  under  the  laws  of  natural  or 
sexual  selection. 

Here  also  the  Western  Wisdom  Teaching 
is  more  comprehensive  and  explicit  than 
Eastern  Occultism.  It  distinguishes  be- 
tween 

a.  Organs  which  are  atrophying  be- 
cause they  have  ceased  to  be  of  use,  such  as 
the  muscles  which  move  the  skin  and  ears  in 
animals.  These  are  present  in  man,  but  are 
not  used,  and 

6.  Organs  like  the  pineal  gland  and 
the  pituary  body,  which  have  played  an 
important  part  of  our  past  evolution,  and, 
though  dormant  now,  are  destined  to  a  still 
greater  future. 

During  the  period  of  Involution   when 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  31 

man  was  building  his  bodies  and  was  in 
closer  touch  with  the  Spiritual  Worlds,  these 
organs  were  vehicles  of  consciousness,  by 
means  of  which  man  contacted  the  inner 
worlds,  which  were  then  as  real  to  him  as 
the  physical  world  is  to-day,  but  as  he  dip- 
ped deeper  into  matter  and  began  to  focus 
his  consciousness  here  these  organs  were  a 
hindrance,  for  through  them  his  attention 
was  diverted  from  the  work  of  the  physical 
world.  Therefore  they  became  dormant  as 
such.  Man,  however,  evolves  in  a  spiral,  and 
as  he  mounts  upward,  these  centers  will 
again  become  active  to  re-contact  the  Spirit- 
ual worlds.  Therefore  they  have  not  atroph- 
ied as  they  would  have  done  were  their  pur- 
pose entirely  served.  After  many  years' 
study  of  the  ductless  and  secretory  glands 
Dr.  C.  E.  de  Sajons  has  published  a  pro- 
found Treatise  on  the  Pituatary  Body, 
wherein  he  shows  this  organ  exercises  an 
central  control  over  our  entire  physical 
organism,  that  instead  of  being  a  rudimen- 
tary or  atrophied  organ,  as  Physiologists 
long  held,  it  serves  as  a  point  of  control  over 
the  body.  The  sympathetic  nervous  system, 
the  vital  secretions  of  the  Thyroid  Gland  and 
the  suprarenal  capsules  are  regulated  by 
direct  connection  with  the  Pituitary  Body, 
as  well  as  the  digestive  tract,  and  the  entire 


32  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

Vaso-dilator  and  Vaso-constrictor  nerves. 
These  scientific  affirmations  concerning  the 
importance  of  this  organ  to  our  physical  sys- 
tem are  especially  interesting  in  the  light  of 
Western  Wisdom  Teaching  regarding  the 
future  function  of  this  Organ. 

The  heart  is  in  another  class : 

c.    Organs  not  yet  completely  developed. 

The  Heart  is  an  involuntary  muscle, 
but  it  is  invested  with  the  cross-stripes 
peculiar  to  voluntary  muscles,  and  these 
cross-stripes  will  become  more  and  more 
marked  as  the  ego  gains  control  over  this 
organ.  All  muscles  are  the  expression  of 
the  desire  body,  and  as  man  evolves  more 
spiritual  desires  and  grows  in  spiritual 
power,  the  heart  will  become  a  voluntary 
muscle,  and  the  circulation  of  the  blood  will 
pass  under  his  control,  then  man  will  have 
areas  of  the  brain  devoted  to  selfish  pur- 
the  power  to  withhold  the  blood  from  those 
poses  and  direct  it  to  other  centers  to  build 
according  to  altruistic  ideals. 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  33 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  BLOOD 

In  the  Christian  Scriptures  certain  doc- 
trines are  given  great  prominence : 

1.  Contamination  of  the  blood  by  gen- 
eration. 

2.  Cleansing  of  the  blood  by  re-gen- 
eration. 

The  doctrine  of  blood  is  written  large 
upon  every  page  of  the  bible  from  Genesis 
to  the  Apocalypse.  It  is  undeniable  also,  that 
blood  is  the  basis  of  all  forms  having  senti- 
ent life,  but  so  far  as  the  writer  has  been 
able  to  learn.  Eastern  Occultism  has  not  one 
word  upon  this  important  subject.  The 
Western  Wisdom  Teaching,  on  the  other 
hand,  throws  a  light  upon  the  "Mystery  of 
Blood'',  which  is  illuminative  of  many 
of  the  most  intimate  problems  of  life,  and 
were  there  no  other  difference  between  the 
teachings  of  the  two  schools,  this  alone 
would  establish  the  superiority  of  the  West- 
ern Wisdom  Teaching. 

The  Western  Wisdom  Teachings  present 
various  far  reaching  ideas  concerning  the 
blood.  It  calls  the  blood  the  great  "vantage 
ground  of  the  spirit/'  the  direct  and  indi- 
vidual vehicle,  through  which,  man  by 
means  of  its  heat  controls  and  directs  his 
physical  body.   When  man  had  entered  the 


34  CHRIST  OR  BIDDHA? 

human  kingdom  and  was  developing  his 
individuality,  the  control  of  his  actions  was, 
to  a  certain  extent  exercised  by  the  Race- 
Spirity  who,  in  a  manner  somewhat  analag- 
ous  to  the  control  of  the  group-spirit  over 
the  animal  kingdom,  maintained  dominion 
over  man  by  preserving  the  purity  of  the 
tribal  or  family  blood,  and  the  closer  the 
inter-mingling  of  blood  by  marriage  in  the 
clan,  caste  or  tribe,  the  stronger  the  power 
of  the  Race  Spirit.  Since  the  blood  is  the 
vehicle  of  the  ego,  the  carrier  of  his  feelings 
and  emotions,  and  the  recorder  of  his  mem- 
ory, the  inter-mingling  of  the  same  family 
blood  had  the  effect  of  reproducing  the  men- 
tal pictures  of  the  parents  in  their  descend- 
ants, who  saw  themselves  in  this  memory 
of  nature  through  a  long  line  of  ancestors. 
Events  in  the  lives  of  their  forbears  thus 
seemed  to  have  happened  to  themselves.  It 
was  through  this  common  consciousness  or 
memory  that  a  man  was  said  to  live  many 
generations.  When  we  read  that  Adam  liv- 
ed 900  years  and  the  patriarchs  lived  for 
centuries,  it  means,  not  that,  the  persons 
themselves  lived  that  long,  but  that  descend- 
ants felt  themselves  Adam,  Methusslah, 
etc.,  because  the  ancestral  blood,  transmit- 
ted directly  through  inter-marriage,  and 
which  they,  in  turn,  transmitted  to  their 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  35 

descendents,  is  the  store  house  of  all  experi- 
ence, and  carried  the  memory  pictures  of 
the  life  of  these  patriarchs.  Thus  certain 
faculties  and  traits  were  built  in,  and  the 
type  strengthened  until  humanity  could 
stand  on  its  own  feet  without  the  aid  of 
family  or  Race  Spirit,  but  during  man^s  ev- 
olution of  self-consciousness,  he  lived  under 
this  reign  of  law  which  submerged  the  in- 
dividual in  the  nation,  tribe  or  family  that 
the  type  might  be  formed. 

There  is  evidence  that  the  Early  Jew  had 
special  teaching  concerning  the  blood,  as 
shown  in  the  14th  verse  of  17th  Leviticus, 
where  they  are  prohibited  from  eating  the 
blood  because  the  ''soul  of  all  flesh  is  in  the 
blood.''  Among  them,  the  Race  Spirit  was 
stronger  than  the  individual,  for  every  Jew 
thought  of  himself,  first  as  belonging  to  a 
certain  tribe  or  family  and  his  proudest 
boast  was  to  be  of  the  ''seed  of  Abraham.'' 

The  original  Semites  were  the  first  to 
evolve  free-will.  They,  in  a  measure,  broke 
away  from  the  grip  of  the  Race  Spirit  by 
inter-marrying  with  other  tribes,  and  this 
introduction  of  strange  blood,  interrupted 
the  common  consciousness  which  they  shared 
with  their  ancestors,  and  which  was  su- 
perseded by  individual  consciousness,  but 
by  this  act  they  also  gradually  lost  the  so- 


36  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

called  "second  sight^'  retained  by  many  of 
the  Scots  who  marry  in  the  clan  to  the  pres- 
ent day. 

The  great  significance  of  the  Christian 
religion  lies  in  its  teaching  that  Christ  came 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  emancipation  of 
humanity  from  the  sway  of  the  Race  Spirit, 
and  unite  the  multiform  races  into  a  broth- 
erhood of  the  whole ;  to  supersede  the  reign 
of  law  with  the  reign  of  love,  and  self-sacri- 
fice, to  instill  into  the  new  race  the  ideal  of 
friendship,  an  ideal  that  will  eventually 
level  all  distinctions  and  bring  peace  upon 
earth  and  good  will  among  men.  He  brought 
a  sword  for  the  sake  of  ultimate  peace,  for, 
not  until  the  kingdom  of  men  is  destroyed 
can  the  kingdom  of  God  be  built,  the  king- 
dom of  God  that  is  built  from  within, 
through  the  free  will  of  man  as  a  self  gov- 
erning individual,  co-operating  with  the 
Divine  Will. 

Man  is  building  in  all  the  worlds,  and 
while  at  times  he  appears  to  build  only  for 
the  separated  self,  yet  there  exists  in  the 
world  to-day  an  ideal  of  friendship  and  al- 
truism that  was  scarcely  known  in  ancient 
civilizations.  Through  this  expression  of 
altruism,  man  is  bringing  to  perfection  his 
vital  body,  which  is  the  highest  expression 
of  the  blood.  This  vehicle  is  also  the  seat  of 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  37 

memory,  and  correlated  to  the  unifying  Life 
Spirit,  as  shadow  is  to  substance.  The  blood 
corpuscles  of  the  lower  animals  are  nucleat- 
ed and  these  nuclei  are  the  vantage  ground 
of  group  spirits  which  control  their  tribe 
through  these  centers  of  life.  When  individ- 
uality is  evolved,  the  nuclei  disappear,  as  in 
the  higher  mammals  which  are  nearing  in- 
dividualization. In  the  human  foetus,  the 
blood  corpuscles  are  nucleated  during  the 
first  few  weeks  while  the  mother  works  on 
the  body,  but  these,  the  indrawing  ego  dis- 
integrates, and  at  the  quickening,  when  it 
takes  possession  as  an  individual,  the  last 
are  gone  for  there  can  be  no  other  govern- 
ing principle  where  the  indwelling  spirit  is, 
thus,  the  blood  of  every  human  being  is  dif- 
ferent from  the  blood  of  every  other  individ- 
ual, which  fact  will  shortly  be  discovered 
by  science.  We  are  taught  in  the  Western 
Wisdom  Teaching,  that  the  vital  body  will 
be  our  densest  in  the  next  upward  cycle, 
therefore  the  necessity  of  its  proper  unf old- 
ment  is  readily  apparent.  The  Western 
Wisdom  Teaching  gives  definite  explanation 
concerning  the  vital  body^s  constituent  eth- 
ers, their  functions  in  the  development  of 
man  and  the  relation  of  this  development  of 
the  vital  body  to  the  second  coming  of  Christ. 
It  includes  instructions  for  this  develop- 


38  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

ment  by  cleansing  the  blood,  and  this  meth- 
od is  suited  to  the  mind  and  body  we  have 
evolved  under  the  modern  and  progressive 
ideals  it  is  a  Western  method  for  Western 
people,  hence  it  is  safe  and  sure,  as  the  writ- 
er knows  by  experience. 

As  we  study  more  closely  this  wonderful 
Teaching,  we  can  understand  in  a  measure 
the  intricate  problem  of  racial  blood,  that 
has  ploughed  such  deep  furrows  in  the 
world's  history,  and  the  part  it  has  played 
in  the  perpetuation  of  family,  tribe,  nation, 
and  ideas :  Science  is  still  searching  for  its 
significance,  it  recognizes  the  fact  that  the 
inoculation  of  blood  into  the  veins  of  another 
of  a  different  species  kills  the  lower  of  the 
two,  (haemolysis),  but  this  Western  Wis- 
dom Teaching  further  explains  that  as 
humanity  evolves  towards  the  divine  stat- 
ure, mixing  of  human  blood  will  become  im- 
possible. In  that  far  off  age,  propagation  of 
the  race  by  mingling  of  the  blood  through 
marriage,  will  no  longer  be  necessary,  for 
man  will  then  have  learned  to  create  by  the 
wordy  from  within.  Even  to-day  man  is 
building  a  finer  and  better  body  than  he  had 
in  the  past,  more  flexible,  more  adaptable, 
he  is  learning  to  know  its  functions  and  is 
beginning  to  liberate  himself  from  the  crys- 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  39 

tallizating  influence  of  racial  blood,  to  be- 
come a  citizen  of  the  world. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  SEX 

The  Western  Wisdom  Teaching  also  gives 
a  solution  of  the  problem  of  sex  and  its  pur- 
pose. 'The  ego  itself,  contrary  to  the  gen- 
erally accepted  idea  is  bi-sexual.''  This 
duality  does  not  manifest  as  sex  in  the  inner 
worlds,  but  as  Will  and  Imagination,  akin 
to  the  Solar  and  Lunar  forces  respectively. 
During  the  epoch  when  the  earth  was  united 
with  the  sun,  ''the  solar  forces  supplied  man 
with  all  needed  sustenance,  and  he  uncon- 
sciously radiated  the  surplus  for  the  pur- 
pose of  propagation,''  but  when  the  ego  be- 
gan to  dwell  within  the  body  and  control  it, 
it  was  necessary  to  use  part  of  this  creative 
force  to  build  the  brain  and  larynx,  that 
man  might  be  furnished  with  instruments 
of  self-expression.  As  the  physical  body  be- 
came upright,  the  dual  creative  force  was 
divided,  one  part  being  directed  upward  to 
build  the  brain  and  larynx,  the  other  was 
directed  downward  to  build  the  procreative 
organs.  As  a  result  of  this  change,  only  one 
part  of  the  force  essential  to  the  creation  of 
another  being  was  available  to  one  individ- 
ual, and  the  co-operation  of  another  was 
necessary  for  propagation.    Thus,  man  ob- 


40  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

tained  brain  consciousness  at  the  cost  of  half 
of  his  creative  power,  but  he  gained  an  in- 
strument by  which  he  could  create  in  the 
World  of  Thought,  in  the  realm  of  music,  of 
poetry,  of  art,  and  enter  into  the  heritage 
of  the  world's  beauty,  and  if  by  this  act,  his 
eyes  were  opened  to  the  knowledge  of  death, 
of  pain,  and  of  sorrow,  they  were  also  open- 
ed to  the  knowledge  of  his  own  divinity,  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  law  of  sacrifice,  of  love 
and  of  service.  Eastern  Occultism  teaches 
the  apparent  fact  of  seperation  of  sex,  but 
the  Western  Wisdom  Teaching  shows  its 
purpose. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  INFANT  MORTALITY 

The  Western  Wisdom  Teaching  also  log- 
ically explains  how  infant  mortality  which 
has  brought  so  much  sorrow  and  suffering 
into  the  world,  is  really  the  merciful  meas- 
ure of  a  loving  God  to  prevent  a  still  greater 
calamity,  that  it  has  been  forced  by  our- 
selves, and  that  there  is  a  way  open  where- 
by we  may  eradicate  this  anomaly  and  save 
ourselves  the  suffering  incident  to  the  de- 
parture of  those  beloved  rays  of  sunshine 
which  alas,  too  frequently  leave  our  hearth 
cold  and  desolate.  On  account  of  limited 
space  we  can  only  give  outlines  of  any  sub- 
ject we  touch  upon,  but  all,  and  much  more, 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  41 

are  elucidated  in  the  laterature  of  the  Rosi- 
erucian  Fellowship,  notably  in  the  Rosi- 
crucian  Cosmo  Conception. 

Immediately  after  death  a  panorama  of 
the  life  just  ended  passes  before  the  spirit. 
By  contemplation  this  is  etched  into  the  de- 
sire, body,  and  as  the  soul  enters  the  world 
of  desires  and  emotions  after  death,  it  feels, 
with  a  keenness  incomprehensible  in  our 
present  state,  the  mistakes  of  life  when  it 
broods  over  pictures  of  scenes  where  it  did 
wrong.  That  is  Purgatory,  and  out  of  the 
suffering  there  the  soul  weaves  conscience 
to  guard  it  from  evil  in  future  lives.  It  also 
enjoys  with  unbelievable  intensity,  virtues 
evolved  in  the  past  life  and  the  good  deeds 
done.  That  is  heaven,  and  out  of  this  joy 
comes  the  incentive  to  live  still  higher  ideals 
in  the  future.  Thus  the  spirit  reaps  tlie 
fruits  of  conscience  and  lofty  aspiration 
from  the  undisturbed  contemplation  of  the 
panorama  immediately  following  death. 

When  this  contemplation  is  disturbed,  as 
in  case  of  death  on  a  battlefield,  or  by  fire, 
drowning  or  other  accident,  the  harrowing 
circumstances  attending  make  it  impossible 
for  the  departing  spirit  to  give  undivided 
attention  to  the  panoramic  review  of  the 
past  life.  This  is  also  the  result  when  hys- 
terical outbursts  from  relatives  act  in  a 


42  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

similarly  disconcerting  manner.  Under  such 
conditions  the  etching  on  the  desire  body  is 
weak,  and  consequently  the  feeling  of  joy 
and  sorrow  is  not  felt  with  sufficient  keen- 
ness in  the  post  mortem  existence,  to  gen- 
erate conscience  to  guide  the  spirit  in  its 
next  earthlife,  or  ideals  to  beckon  it  along. 
It  has  sowed,  but  has  not  reaped,  the  life  has 
been  lived  in  vain,  and  in  its  next  earthlife 
it  would  still  be  subject  to  the  vices  which 
beset  in  the  life  just  past,  the  virtues  then 
achieved  would  have  to  be  wrought  anew. 
Thus  the  soul  would  be  launched  upon  the 
sea  of  life  like  a  ship  without  compass  or 
lighthouse  to  guide  it  to  the  haven  of  rest, 
it  would  be  doomed  to  destruction.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  death  in  childhood  is  design- 
ed by  the  loving  kindness  of  God  to  avert 
this  calamity  caused  by  savagery,  careless- 
ness or  lack  of  consideration,  and  give  the 
incoming  spirit  a  fair  start  in  life.  The 
method  of  attaining  this  end  is  as  follows: 

On  its  way  to  rebirth  the  spirit  gathers 
materials  for  a  new  mind,  desire  body,  vital 
body  and  dense  body.  As  a  period  of  gesta- 
tion precedes  birth  of  the  dense  body,  so  with 
the  finer  vestures.  Birth  of  the  vital  body  at 
seven  years  of  age  inaugurates  growth,  of 
the  desire  nature  at  fourteen  brings  adol- 
esence  and  ushers  in  the  emotional  age,  and 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  43 

at  twenty-one  when  the  mind  is  born,  reason 
lights  the  path  to  subdue  emotion  and  guide 
us  through  life. 

That  which  has  not  been  born  cannot  die, 
and  when  the  dense  body  of  a  child  dies  be- 
fore the  age  of  adolescence  gestation  of  the 
desirebody  is  finished  in  the  first  heaven,  a 
part  of  the  desireworld  (called  "summer- 
land'^  by  some),  where  noble  ideals  and  a 
horror  of  evil  are  instilled  by  devoted 
teachers,  where  they  imbibe  a  superior  mor- 
ality while  engaged  in  a  play  with  colors 
and  living  toys  so  sublime  that  could  we  see 
them,  we  would  forget  our  sorrow  and  thank 
God  for  His  goodness.  After  a  few  years 
these  lucky  ones  are  often  born  in  the  same 
family,  nobler  than  they  would  have  been 
if  they  had  not  lost  the  experience  of  the 
earthlife  which  necessitated  death  in  child- 
hood. 

Eastern  Occultism  tells  us  that  we  should 
not  grieve,  for  birth  is  as  certain  to  those 
who  die  as  death  is  to  all  who  are  born,  that 
is  true,  but  it  is  as  cold  as  Occultism  itself, 
and  infant  mortality  is  so  sad,  it  is  such  an 
apparent  anomaly  in  nature  that  we  crave 
a  ray  of  hope  to  comfort  our  aching  hearts 
when  the  Angel  of  Death  has  taken  the  sun- 
shine from  our  homes,  and  the  Western 
Wisdom  Teaching  speaks  to  heart  and  mind 


44  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

alike,  it  shows  us  a  law  working  for  good 
to  correct  our  mistakes,  it  lights  the  path  of 
sorrow  with  the  ray  of  hope,  and  shows  us 
how  we  may  save  ourselves  this  sorrow  in 
future  lives  by  abolition  of  war,  by  being 
careful  to  avoid  accidents,  and  by  being  con- 
siderate of  departing  friends  in  the  hour  of 
death,  not  annoying  them  with  selfish 
lamentations. 

THE  MYSTERY  OF  DEATH 

Although  the  idea  has  been  accepted  by 
most  thoughtful  students,  that  death  is  but 
a  shifting  of  activities  from  this  physical 
world,  to  worlds  less  material,  the  Western 
Wisdom  Teaching  explains  the  natural 
working  of  law  concerning  length  of  earth 
life,  and  the  collapse  of  the  physical  body. 
Man  builds  the  archetype  of  his  dense  body 
in  the  heaven  world,  this  archetype  is^  of 
course  built  according  to  his  capacities. 
Sometimes  a  life  is  prolonged  beyond  the 
normal,  when  the  Compassionate  Ones  see 
that  it  can  be  of  special  service,  but  general- 
ly speaking  the  archetype  persists  only  till 
the  vibration  attained  at  birth  has  been  ex- 
pended. 

When  the  life  is  ended,  the  ascent 
of  the  spirit  is  hindered  by  the  desire  mat- 
ter which  clings  to  him  after  the  mortal  coil 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  45 

has  been  shed.  From  this  he  seeks  to  free 
himself  by  centrifugal  force,  following  the 
same  natural  law  by  which  a  planet  throws 
off  that  part  of  itself  which  is  most  crystal- 
lized. Thus  the  coarsest  matter  of  the  desire 
body  is  thrown  off  first  and  is  eliminated  by 
the  purging  centrifugal  force  which  tears 
out  the  evil  and  allows  him  to  ascend  into 
the  higher  regions,  constituting  the  heaven 
world.  In  this  connection  too  the  very  im- 
portant teaching  is  given  as  to  the  necessity 
of  properly  etching  the  panorama  of  the 
past  life,  into  the  desire  body  that  he  may 
see  his  successes  and  his  failures,  wherein 
he  was  strong  and  wherein  he  was  weak, 
that  he  may  see  the  purpose  of  pain  and  the 
path  that  leads  to  its  elimination.  Each  gen- 
eration as  it  ascends  to  the  heavenworld 
sings  a  song  of  its  accomplishment  while 
upon  earth.  Thus  each  sings  a  different 
measure  in  the  Harmony  of  our  Sphere,  and 
as  spores  upon  a  glass  plate  are  differently 
arranged  when  different  tones  set  them  into 
vibration,  so  these  variations  in  the  world- 
anthem  are  the  causes  which  change  climate, 
flora  and  fauna.  If  we  were  diligent  we 
sang  of  a  land  of  plenty,  and,  lo !  we  find  it 
awaiting  us  on  our  return,  if  we  neglected 
the  land  and  spent  our  time  in  metaphysical 
speculation  we  find  ourselves  in  a  land  of 


46  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

famine,  flood  and  earthquake.  Two  ex- 
tremes well  exemplified  in  the  far  East  and 
the  far  West.  All  things,  in  heaven  and  on 
earth  are  governed  by  the  immutable  law  of 
consequence  which  maintains  the  equili- 
brium of  the  world. 

The  Western  Wisdom  Teaching  also  gives 
invaluable  instructions  in  the  care  of  the 
dying,  and  shows  how  we  may  aid  them,  in 
the  hour  of  passing,  to  realize  the  greatest 
possible  soulgrowth  from  the  life  just  end- 
ing. Thus  this  teaching  is  of  practical  bene- 
fit in  every  contingency  of  life  and  death. 

THE  CHRIST  OF  THE  WEST  is  not 
THE  CHRIST  OF  THE  EAST 

But  while  the  foregoing  points  are  of  im- 
portance as  showing  the  superiority  of  the 
Western  Wisdom  Teaching  over  Eastern 
Occultism,  they  pale  into  insignificance  be- 
fore the  diametrical  difference  of  the  teach- 
ing on  the  vital  question  concerning  the 
Christ,  His  identity.  His  mission,  and  the 
nature  of  His  Advent.  On  this  important 
paint,  says  Edith  Ward  in  'The  Occult  Re- 
view," there  is  such  a  radical  and  irrecon- 
cilable difference  that  both  cannot  be  true. 
She  arrives  at  this  conclusion  by  comparing 
the  Rosicrucian  Cosmo  Conception  by  Max 
Heindel  with  the  writings  of  a  leader  of  the 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  47 

principal  Society  promulgating  Hinduism. 
Until  November  1909,  when  the  Rosicrucian 
Cosmo  Conception  was  published,  this  Socie- 
ty had  had  very  little  to  say  about  a  Christ, 
but  since  then  they  have  made  this  a  fea- 
ture. In  the  latest  book  this  leader  claims, 
(page  252),  that  the  lives  of  Christ  have  al- 
ways been  in  close  relationship  with  the 
most  devoted  members  of  the  Society  in- 
volved, He  is  said  to  have  taken  birth  as  a 
Hindu  at  the  present  time  and  to  be  the 
ward  of  said  leader  who  claims  to  be  fitting 
Him  for  the  spiritual  rulership  of  the  world. 

I  have  no  quarrel  with  those  who  believe 
this,  it  is  contrary  to  the  policy  of  the  Rosi- 
crucian Fellowship  to  speak  in  a  derogatory 
manner  of  people  of  another  persuasion,  or 
to  make  light  of  their  sincere  beliefs,  but  I 
claim  the  ethical  right  of  comparing  the 
Western  Wisdom  Teaching  which  I  have 
espoused,  and  which  is  in  full  agreement 
with  the  Christian  Scriptures  in  which  I  be- 
lieve, with  the  teachings  of  the  Eastern 
School  for  the  purpose  of  proving  that  the 
Christ  to  Whom  the  whole  Christian  world 
looks  for  Light  and  Hope  is  not  the  Christ 
proclaimed  by  this  Society. 

To  this  end  I  might  adduce  most  volumin- 
ous references,  but  the  following  will  suf- 
fice.  The  letters  X  and  Z  are  used  to  desig- 


48  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

nate  quotations  from  two  writers  of  the 
Eastern  School.  The  black-face  letters  are 
mine. 

According  to  X.,  it  is  stated  that  "when 
the  time  came  at  which  it  was  expected  that 
humanity  would  be  able  to  take  care  of  itself, 
the  foremost  who  had  reached  the  stage  of 
adeptship  were  two  friends  or  brothers 
whose  development  was  equal,  these  were 
Lord  Gautama  and  Lord  Maitreya.  The 
former  held  office  first,  the  latter  followed 
thousands  of  years  later.  .  .  .  Buddha 
has  yielded  his  office  of  ruler  of  religion 
and  education  to  Lord  Maitreya  whom  the 
Western  people  call  the  Christ,  who  took  the 
body  of  the  disciple  Jesus  during  the  last 
three  years  of  its  life  on  the  physical  plane. 
.  .  .  Lord  Maitreya  had  taken  various 
births  before  he  came  into  the  office  he  now 
holds." 

Z.  traces  a  similar  line  of  births : — 

"The  Lord  Maitreya  in  due  course  ap- 
peared as  Shri  Krishna,  and  passed  away  in 
early  manhood,  returning  to  his  Himalyan 
home,  and  then  he  came  again,  using  the 
body  of  his  dear  disciple  Jesus,  the  Hebrew, 
and  for  three  years  shone  in  the  perfectest 
tendersness  of  the  Christ.  .  .  .  And, 
now,  again  we  are  hoping,  watching  for  His 
coming." 

But  that  these  people  are  not  looking  for 
the  Christ  of  the  Gospels,  of  the  Christian 
world  or  of  the  Western  Wisdom  Teaching 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  49 

is  a  fact  they  are  careful  to  impress  as  fol- 
lows: 

Z.  says:  "In  considering  the  return  of  the 
Chrrst  I  would  have  you  distinguish  clearly 
between  the  Christ  of  the  Gospels  and  him 
to  whom  I  refer.  All  they  have  in  common 
is  the  name  Jesus.  .  .  .  It  is  necessary 
to  emphasize  the  fact  that  Jesus  whose  im- 
mediate return  I  look  for  shall  in  no  way  be 
confused  with  your  Christ.  ...  If  you 
remain  a  faithful  believer  in  your  scriptures 
— the   authenticity   of  which   I   repudiate — 

they  will  safeguard  you  against 

confusion  between  the  prophet  whose  im- 
mediate return  I  proclaim,  and  the  Christ  of 
the  gospels." 

X.  says  that :  ''When  we  examine  clair- 
voyantly  the  life  of  the  founder  of  Chris- 
tianity  we  find  no  trace  of  the 

twelve  apostles  .  .  .  the  author  of  the 
gospels  seems  to  have  conceived  the  idea 
of  casting  some  of  the  great  facts  of  initia- 
tion into  a  narrative  form  and  mingling  with 
some  points  out  of  the  life  of  the  real  Jesus 
who  was  born  105  B.  C." 

With  this  Z  agrees : — 

"Your  faith  in  his  divinity  arises  out  of 
your  faith  in  the  story  of  his  life  as  recorded 
by  his  disciples.  But  so  far  as  I  know,  these 
disciples  never  existed,  and  the  story  of  his 
life,  as  of  theirs,  is  a  creation  of  the  imagina- 
tion. .  .  .  the  Christ  to  whom  I  refer 
.  .  .  lived  on  earth  about  a  century  be- 
fore the  time  when  these  events  in  Palestine 


50  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

were  supposed  to  take  place  but  did  not  do 
so." 

Does  it  not  seem  strange  that  this  writer 
who  thus  repudiates  he  Christian  Scriptures 
and  brands  the  story  of  Christ  and  His 
apostles  as  a  figment  of  the  imagination 
should  pathetically  exclaim,  because  the  new 
Christ  is  repudiated  by  many  members  of 
the  said  Society: 

"Shall  history  here  repeat  itself,  and  the 
story  of  Judea,  Jerusalem,  and  even  Calvary 
once  more  be  played?" 

How  can  that  repeat  itself  which  never 
took  place?  And  is  it  not  strange  that  a 
leader  who  makes  a  world-wide  campaign 
repudiating  the  Christ  of  the  Western 
World,  and  the  Christian  Scriptures,  and 
who  heralds  another  Christ  should  say : 

"I  know  next  to  nothing  of  this  Jesus, 
whose  return  I  foretell." 

Is  it  not  strange  that  one  who  says  blunt- 
ly and  without  reserve : 

I  am  not  a  Christian. 

should  have  been  entrusted  with  the  great 
mission  of  proclaiming  Christ? 

Let  the  reader  answer  these  questions  as 
he,  or  she,  thinks  the  evidence  merits,  but  I 
personally  I  believe  that  the  Christ  of  all 
devout  and  believing  Christians  is  entirely 
different  from  the  one  heralded  by  the  new 
leaders  of  the  Eastern  School  of  Occultism. 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  51 

THE  CHRIST  OF  THE  WEST 

The  Western  Wisdom  Teaching  gives  a 
comprehensive  Cosmogenesis  .  Three  great 
evolutionary  periods  have  preceded  our 
present  state.  The  Father  is  the  highest 
Initiate  of  the  Saturn  Period,  The  Son 
(Christ),  is  the  highest  Initiate  of  the  Sun 
Period,  and  Jehovah  is  the  highest  Initiate 
of  the  Moon  Period. 

Under  the  regime  of  Jehovah  and  his 
Angels  separation  of  the  sexes  took  place, 
also  a  division  of  mankind  into  tribes  and 
nations.  The  desirenature  was  ramp- 
ant, so  Laws  were  given,  and  ^^the  fear  of 
the  Lord''  was  pitted  against  the  desires  of 
the  flesh.  All  race-religions  were  designed 
by  Jehovah,  each  suited  to  the  particular 
nation  to  whom  it  was  given,  all  these  forms 
of  worship  aimed  to  bring  mankind  to 
Christ,  whose  mission  is  to  emancipate  us 
from  the  rule  of  Law,  under  which  all  sin, 
to  the  reign  of  Love  where  all  serve. 

Jehovah  worked  upon  the  earth  and  man- 
kind from  without,  as  Groupspirits  work 
with  the  animals,  but  2000  years  ago,  at  the 
Baptism,  the  Christ  Spirit  descended  upon 
Jesus,  and  dwelt  in  his  body  until  Golgotha, 
when  it  entered  the  earth,  as  indwelling 
Planetary  Spirit,  and  forthwith  He  com- 


52  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

menced  to  cleanse  the  desireworld,  which 
reeked  with  brutality  and  egotism  generated 
under  the  Law,  and  also  to  radiate  love  and 
altruism  which  is  slowly,  but  surely  per- 
meating the  world.  Thus,  in  time,  we  shall 
surely  see  "Peace  on  earth,  and  among  men 
goodwill."  But  the  Great  Sacrifice  was  only 
begun  on  Golgotha,  the  Christ  is  still  "groan- 
ing and  travailing,"  and  must  so  remain 
"till  the  day  of  manifestation  of  the  Sons  of 
God" ;  the  day  when  we  shall  have  evolved 
sufficiently  to  guide  our  own  planet  in  its 
orbit  and  care  for  our  weaker  brothers.  May 
God  speed  the  day  of  His  liberation,  but  let 
us  not  forget  that  we  hasten  or  retard  tho^ 
day  of  His  Coming  by  our  lives.  If  we  live 
unto  the  world,  we  lengthen  His  imprison- 
ment and  agony,  and  it  behooves  us  to  heed 
His  last  admonition,  that  whether  we  eat  or 
drink,  or  whatever  we  do,  be  done  ''In  Re- 
membrance^^ of  Him,  for  then  shall  we  be 
working  to  free  Him  and  we  shall  meet  Him 
"in  the  air,"  as  He  passes  out  from  the  cen- 
ter of  the  earth  to  the  surface,  and  thence  to 
the  Sun  whence  He  came. 

The  work  of  the  Aryan  race  has  been  to 
evolve  its  reason,  and  right  well  has  it  ac- 
complished this  purpose,  but  from  hence- 
forth, humanity  must  learn  to  illuminate  its 
reason  by  the  inner  light  of  the  Spirit,  and 


CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA?  53 

unite  its  head  knowledge,  with  the  knowledge 
of  the  heart.  It  must  learn  to  initiate 
through  its  own  Free  Will,  all  action  from 
within  and  this  action  must  be  Service. 

It  has  been  said  that  **the  flower  of  re- 
ligions is  always  given  to  the  flower  of  hu- 
manity," and  that  more  glorious  religions 
are  yet  to  come,  yet  the  world  to-day  is  just 
beginning  to  catch  faint  glimpses  of  the  lofty 
Mission  of  Christ,  which  is  to  lift  mankind 
into  the  living  realty  of  Universal  Friend- 
ship, 

In  the  Atlantean  Mystery  Teaching  dis- 
closed in  the  Old  Testament,  we  learn  that 
man,  of  his  own  free  will  partook  of  "the 
tree  of  knowledge,'''  which  brought  pain  and 
death  into  the  world,  and  was  thus  "expelled 
from  the  garden  of  God,  to  wander  in  the 
wilderness  of  the  world'';  that  God  in  pity 
made  a  covenant  with  man;  that  a  taber- 
nacle was  built,  within  which  as  the  Ark, 
symbolizing  the  human  spirit  which  never 
dies;  that  its  staves  were  never  removed, 
even  as  man,  a  pilgrim,  may  never  rest  until 
he  reaches  through  his  own  free  will  the 
human  goal.  Within  this  Ark  was  the 
"golden  pot  of  manna",  MAN,  fallen  from 
heaven,  together  with  a  statement  of  divine 
laws  he  must  learn  in  his  "pilgrimage 
through  the  wilderness  of  matter" ;  and  also 


54  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

*^the  magic  wand'^  of  Aaron,  the  emblem  of 
spiritual  power,  which  "is  within  every  one 
on  his  way  to  the  Mystic  Temple  of 
Solomon."  In  the  Old  Testament  is  traced 
man's  descent  from  heaven,  his  transgres- 
sions from  the  commands  of  Jehovah,  who 
has  led  and  guided  him  in  pain  and  sorrow 
through  the  wilderness  of  matter  to  the  reign 
of  Peace  ushered  in  by  Christ. 

Yet,  scarcely  has  the  world  begun  to  live 
the  inner  Teachings  of  Christianity,  only 
dimly  is  it  beginning  to  grasp  their  signific- 
ance, yet  slowly  but  surely  we  are  swinging 
into  the  next  cycle  of  progress,  the  great 
Sixth  Epoch,  of  which  Christ  is  the  Leader, 
an  Epoch  which  will  marshall  all  mankind, 
whether  "Sons  of  Cain'^  or  "Sons  of  Seth" 
to  work  in  harmony  in  the  Kingdom  of  their 
Lord,  an  Epoch  where  the  Ray  from  the 
Rose  Cross  will  shed  its  light  of  understand- 
ing into  every  institution  of  men  "so  that 
every  difference  will  sink  in  common  service 
for  the  good  of  all  and  "Friendship  will 
unite  the  scattered  souls  in  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  who  when  He  has  fully  perfected  the 
unification  of  the  Kingdom  will  yield  it  to 
the  Father,  as  stated  in  the  Bible. 

In  the  Western  Mystery  Teaching  is 
found  revealed  this  Mission  of  Christ,  who 
came  to  show  and  prepare  the  way  into  His 


CHRSIT  OR  BUDDHA?  55 

Kingdom;  that  not  the  stragglers  alone 
might  be  lifted  up,  but  that  all  who  are 
ready  to  enter  into  the  narrow  way  and 
through  the  straight  gate,  may  find  the  Light 
and  the  Way.  No  longer  is  He  the  One  to 
come,  but  to  come  again.  Neither  will  He 
appear  in  the  flesh,  which,  as  Paul 
says,  cannot  inherit  the  Kingdom,  but 
in  the  vital  Body  (spoken  of  by  Paul 
as  soma  psuchicon,  or  soul  body,  1st 
Cor.  15) ,  and  when  humanity  has  evolved  its 
etheric  consciousness  they  can  meet  Him 
face  to  face,  but  "0/  that  day  and  hour, 
knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  even  the  angels 
which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the 
Father.''  Then  the  Law  that  was  given  by 
Moses  will  be  superseded  ''by  the  grace  and 
truth  that  comes  by  Christ  Jesus,''  and  the 
stream  of  humanity  that  has  been  surging 
onward  in  its  appointed  course  will  bear  wit- 
ness as  rightful  sons  of  God  to  the  divine 
command,  ''Be  ye  perfect  even  as  your 
Father  in  heaven  is  perfect.'' 


56  CHRIST  OR  BUDDHA? 

CONCLUSION 

In  the  foregoing  pages  I  have  scarcely 
touched  upon  the  wealth  of  wisdom  found  in 
the  Christian  Mystery  Teaching  dissemin- 
ated through  the  Rosicrucian  Fellowship,  but 
it  seems  to  me,  sufficient  has  been  said  to 
convince  anyone  acquainted  with  the  Teach- 
ings of  Eastern  Occultism,  who  is  open  to 
conviction,  that  while  both  contain  the  same 
great  basic  truths  common  to  all  religions, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  they  are  very  far 
from  being  ^^the  same,^^  and  that  the  West- 
ern Wisdom  Teaching  is  as  superior  to  East- 
ern Occultism  as  Budda,  the  Light  of  Asia,  is 
outshone  by  our  glorious  Christ,  the  Light  of 
the  World,  for  whose  coming  we  watch  and 
pray. 

ANETT  C.  RICH,  Rx.  F. 


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This  remarkable  book  by  Max  Heindel 
narks  an  entirely  new  departure  in  mystic 
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For  the  first  time  in  history  the  West- 
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The  wide  scope  of  the  book  is  indicated 
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is  stated  to  be  *'an  elementary  treatise 
upon  Man's  past  evolution,  present  con- 
stitution   and    future    development." 

We  give  herewith  some  headings  of 
chapters  and  subdivisions  as  a  slight  in- 
dication of  what  is  contained  in  this  mine 
of    mystic    light    and    knowledge 

PART    I. 

I.  The     Visible     and     Invisibie     World*, 

with    two    diagrams. 

II.  The  Four  Kingrdoms,  with  two  dia- 
grams showing  their  vehicles  and 
consciousness. 

III.  Man     and     the     Method     of     E^volution. 

Spirit,  Soul  and  Body;  Thought,  Mem- 
ory and  Soulgrowth.  The  conscious, 
subconscious  and  superconscious 
mind.  The  science  of  death,  the  hene- 
flcience  of  purgatory,  life  in  heaven; 
preparation    for    re-birth. 

IV.  Re-birth  and  the  Law  on  ConseQuence. 
Wine  as  a  factor  in  evoltuion,  an 
authentic   story   proving   re-birth. 

PART    II. 
T.  The    Relation    of    Man    to    God,    with 

diagram. 

VI.  The  Scheme  of  Evolution.  A  general 
outline,  with  diagram  of  the  Seven 
World    Periods. 

VII.  The  Path  of  Evolution.  Cosmic  Days 
of  active  work  and  Cosmic  Nights  of 
passive   contemplation. 

VIII.  The  \%^ork  of  Evolution.  How  the 
Cherubim,  Seraphim,  Archangels  and 
Angels    helped. 

XI.  Genesis    and    Evolution    of    our    Solar 

System.  Chaos  the  seedground  of 
Cosmos,  Birth  of  the  Planets,  Planet- 
ary   Spirits. 


XII.  Evolution  on  the  Earth.  The  Moon, 
the  eighth  sphere  of  retrogression, 
Birth  of  the  Individual,  Separation 
into  Sexes,  Lucifer  Spirits  and  the 
Fall,    Sixteen   Paths   to   Destruction. 

XIII.  Back  to  the  Bible.  TVho  the  lost' 
tribes  are,  and  why  Jesus  was  born 
a    Jew. 

XIV.  Occult  Analysis  of  Genesis.  The  Ne- 
bular theory,  Jehovah  and  his  mis- 
sion; a  living  soul;  why  hybrids  are 
sterile? 

PART    III. 

XV.  Christ  and  ihis  Mission.  "Peace  on 
Earth"  and  "Not  Peace,  but  a  Sword." 
The   Star  of  Bethlehem,   the  heart  an 

anomalv,  the  Mystery  of  Golgotha  and 
the    cleansing    blood. 

XVI.  Future  Development  and  Initiation. 
The  bymbolism  of  the  Caduceus,  Al- 
chemy   and    Soulgrowth. 

XVII.  The  Method  of  acquiring:  first-hand 
Knowledgre.  Western  Methods  for 
Western  People,  the  science  of  nutri- 
tion, the  law  of  assimilation,  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  Esoteric  Training  how 
the  inner  vehicle  is   built? 

XVIII...The  Constitution  of  the  Earth  and 
Volcanic    Empt4ons. 

XIX.  Christian  Rosenkreuz  and  the  Order 
of  Rosicrucians.  The  Rosicrucian  In- 
itiation, the  Rosicrucian  Fellowship, 
Symbolism  of  the  Rose  Cross,  the 
Power  of  Healing. 


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PARTIAL.     lilST    OF     SUBJECTS. 
Section  1. — Life  on  Earth.     Social  Conditions 

Marriag-e,      Children,      Sleep     and     Dreams 

Health   and   Disease. 
Section     II. — Life     After     Death.      Cremation 

Purg-atory,    The   First   Heaven,    The    Secon( 

Heaven,      The      Third      Heaven,      Guardiai 

A  Tl  fiff^l  s 

Section    ill. — Rebirth.     The    Law    of .  Rebirth 

The  Law  of  Causation,   Transmigration. 
Section  IV. — The  Bible  Teachings.     The  Crea 

tion,  the  Fall,  The  Immaculate  Conception 

Sayings  of  Christ. 
Section     V. — Spiritualia^Hc     Phenomena...     Me 

diumship,   Obsession,   Materialisation. 
Section  VI.— Clairvoyance.     Dangers  of  Phy 

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A  CHILD  CAN  UNDERSTAND 
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When  Simplified  Scientific  Astrology  was 
published,  Mr.  Heindel  stated  his  intention 
of  writing  a  book  on  the  art  of  reading  a 
horoscope.  He  promised  particularly  to 
elucidate  his  method  of  detecting  incipient 
diseases,  so  that  application  of  thep  roverb- 
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health  and  make  cure  unnecessary. 

This  Great  Book  is  now  ready,  had 
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IN  A  CLASS  BY  ITSELF 
but  being  the  product  of  both  Max  Heindel 
and    his    equally    able    Companion    in    the 
Work:    Augusta  Foss  Heindel, 

IT  IS  A  MASTERKEY 
to  the  eosteric  side  of  Astrology,  with  the 
key    to    its    practical    application    in    Life. 
Twenty-two  horoscopes  are  used  to  ilustrate 
diagnosis   of  disease,   examples   show   how 

SPIRITUAL  SIGHT  AND  MEDIUMSHIP 
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Competent  Astrologers  all  over  the 
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they  have  marveled  at  the  lucidity  of  his 
explanations  and  at  the  information  con- 
tained within  the  covers  of  this  book,  and 
the  second  edition  will  cause  them  to  coin 
new  superlatives  of  praise,  for  it  is  re- 
vised, partly  rewritten  and  though  the 
number  of  pages  is  the  same  as  in  the 
first  edition,  much  new  matter  has  been 
inserted  by  economizing  space. 

Notwithstanding  the  increased  value,  the 
price  remains  the  same:  A§3|f  post  free. 
Thus  students  who  have  the  first  edition 
can  easily  afford  to  get  the  second  also. 


Soatmtrmn 

interpretation  of 

Ancient  Truths  in  Modern  Dress    , 

,  %  10 

The   price  of  these  lectures   is   S'^Shta 
each  plus  1  cent  postage  for  each  copy. 

No.   1.     "The  Riddle  of  Life  and  Death." 

Presenting  a  solution  which  is  both  sci- 
entific and  religious. 

No.  2.     "Where  Are  the  Dead?" 

No.  3.  "Spiritual  Sight  and  the  Spiritual 
Worlds."  Showing  that  we  have  a  lat- 
ent "sixth  sense,"  and  what  it  open^  up 
to  us  when  cultivated. 

No.  4.  "Sleep,  Dreams,  Trance  Hypno- 
tism,  Mediumship   and   Insanity. 

No.  5.  "Death  and  Life  in  Purgatory." 
Describing  the  method  of  death  and 
purgation,  also  how  immutable  law  and 
not  an  avenging  Deity  transmutes  the 
evil  acts  of  life  to  everlasting  good. 

No.  6.  "Life  and  Activity  in  Heaven." 
Showing  how  the  Human  Spirit  assimi- 
lates the  Good  of  its  past  life  and  cre- 
ates its  environment  for  a  luture  re- 
birth, also  how  it  prepares  a  new 
body. 

No.  7.  "Birth  a  Fourfold  Event."  De- 
scribing antenatal  preparations  for 
birth,  and  the  spiritual  changes  which 
inaugurate  the  period  of  excessive  phys- 
ical growth  in  the  7th  year;  puberty  at 
14  and  maturity  at  21.  This  knowl- 
edge is  absolutely  essential  to  the 
right  care  of  a  child. 

No.  8.  "The  Science  of  Nutrition,  Health 
and  Protracted  Youth."  Showing  the 
material  cause  of  early  death  and  the 
obvious  prophylactic. 

No.  9.  "Astronomical  Allegories  of  the 
Bible."     A  mystic  scroll. 

No.  10.  "Astrology;  Its  Scope  and  Llml' 
tations."  Showing  the  spiritual  side  of 
astrology,    how    it    enables    those    who 


study  it  to  help  themselves  and  others. 

No.  11.  ^'Spiritual  Sight  and  Insight.*' 
Its  culture,  control  and  legitimate  use, 
giving  a  definite  and  safe  method  of  at- 
tainment. 

No.  12.  "Parsifal.**  Wagner's  famous 
Mystic  Muse  Drama,  a  mine  of  inspira- 
tion and  devotion. 

No.  13.  *'The  Angels  as  Factors  in  Eto- 
lution.**  Showing  just  what  part  the 
Angels,  Archangels,  Cherubim,  Seraph- 
im, etc.,  play  in  the  Drama  of  Life. 

No.  14.  "Lucifer,  Tempter  or  Benefac- 
tor?'* Showing  the  origin  and  the 
mission  of  pain  and  sorrow. 

No.  15.  "The  Mystery  of  Golgotha  and 
the  Cleansing  Blood.'*  A  rational  ex- 
planation which  satisfies  head  and 
heart  alike. 

No.  16.  "The  Star  of  Bethlehem;  a  Mys- 
tic Fact.'* 

No.  17.  "The  Mystery  of  the  Holy  Grail." 
The  way  to  attainment. 

No.  18.  "The  Lord's  Prayer.**  Showing, 
the  esoteric  side,  and  how  it  applies  to 
the  seven-fold  constitution  of  man. 

No.  19.  "The  Coming  Force— Vril!  oi 
What?" 

No.  20.  "Fellowship  and  the  Coming 
Race.*'  Showing  why  the  Bible  con- 
tains both  the  Jewish  and  Christian 
Religions,  why  both  combined  are  pe- 
culiarly adapted  to  the  spiritual  needs 
of  the  Western  World  and  why  Jesus 
was  born  a  .7ew. 

THEY  FIT  THE  POCKET 

These    lectures    are    fine    for    beginners. 
Read    consecutively,    they   give   a   compre- 
hensive outline  of  our  philosophy, 
and  allow  a  busy  man  to  utilize  time  on 
cars  en  route  to  or  from  business. 
Send  one  to  a  Friend. 

It  is  an  inexpensive  and  a  helpful  gift. 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PAT.  JAN.  21, 1908 


'do,j 


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